Opportunities for LSW

We have become one of 21 manufacturers in the UK to be listed on the European Committee for Welding of Railway Vehicles following EN15085 certification. We are extremely proud and excited by this achievement and the opportunities it presents. Here, we discuss our latest certification, and what it means for LSW moving forward.

What does this new certification do for LSW and our clients?

By achieving CL2 standard, we have joined leading firms to further bolster our rail product offering. With this standard, and a new recruit in the form of responsible welding coordinator Mohammed Zubair, LSW can now provide new parts for railway vehicles throughout the UK and Europe and can also be considered for high-profile projects, such as OEM’s Rosco’s, TOC’s and Network Rail, which only use certified companies. 

The certification means that any new or existing clients can appoint us with confidence – knowing that we meet all of the relevant industry standards needed to manufacture safe and secure components for rail.

How we gained certification

The certification audit was 18 months in the making. Originally, it was set to take place in April 2020, but the unforeseen COVID-19 outbreak meant that it had to be postponed. Eventually, TUV Germany, with the assistance of Zoe Gallagher, a respected and experienced independent consultant, conducted an audit to see if we were up to the standard and concluded that “LSW has significantly adapted and adopted the intense requirements to be certified. The team should be very proud of everything it has achieved.” 

We were delighted by Zoe’s comments given the work we’d put into preparing for the audit, especially when she added: “I found the organisation’s systems to be some of the best I’ve ever worked with. It was refreshing to see everything linked up – from the client’s initial enquiry to the final project.”

What we think

While we have already supplied a significant number of component parts to one of the UK’s leading railway engineering companies, achieving the CL2 standard now opens up new opportunities for LSW. Having recently invested significantly in the latest automated technology which increases capacity and efficiencies, Michael Haskell, our managing director, says: “This should further evidence that we’re not afraid to make large investments in how we vastly expand our high-quality offering for customers. We’re incredibly proud to have achieved EN15085 status and be part of a select European database that allows access to some of the most globally recognised rail projects. This certification plays a pivotal role in our company growth plans and commitment to developing our workforce’s expertise.” LSW has more than 50 years’ experience in the sheet metal industry with an existing portfolio in the rail sector. To find out more, or to see the work we have done, get in touch.